CHAPTER 49: A LITTLE MORE...REAL

"Then, it’s a date."

It would be a lie to say that Qi Jianyi wasn’t caught off guard. Song Chengfeng’s straightforwardness struck her like a sudden gust of wind, unexpected and bracing. The ease with which he declared it, without the slightest hesitation, left her momentarily speechless.

Her lips parted, then closed again, as if words were hanging on the tip of her tongue but refused to form. She blinked, her mind scrambling to catch up.

On one hand, she was surprised by his honesty. It wasn’t every day someone so confidently called a casual movie outing a date without a trace of awkwardness. On the other hand, a sigh escaped her lips as she looked at him, bemused.

She couldn’t help but think, with this level of bluntness, no wonder he hasn’t found a girlfriend yet. Her thoughts slipped out as they so often did, unfiltered.

"Young Master Song, you’re way too straightforward," she remarked, her tone halfway between teasing and genuine concern.

"Is this the reason why you’re still single even after growing so old? Anyway," she sighed dramatically, her eyes now brimming with mock sympathy, "I won’t consider this a date. You seem to be lonely, so I’ll only reluctantly keep you company."

She punctuated her words with a look that could only be described as pitiful, as if she were taking pity on a lost puppy rather than the proud, aloof man standing before her.

Song Chengfeng’s face darkened immediately. His once-calm expression stiffened into one of mild offense, a shadow of indignation crossing his eyes. Old? Did she just call him old? He was only in his mid-twenties, how could she say something so outrageous? And Young Master Song—that title, which usually carried a certain weight and prestige, now became a nuisance in his ears.

"Why won’t you consider this a date?" he countered, his voice sharpening slightly. "And for the record, I’m single not because no one wants to be with me, but because no one is interesting enough for me." His tone had a certain edge to it now, as though he were trying to drive the point home with all the gravity it deserved.

Yet, the more he insisted, the more he attempted to explain himself, the more Qi Jianyi’s eyes softened with that same pitiful look, as if nothing he said could convince her otherwise.

It was as if each word he uttered only deepened her sense of amused pity. Song Chengfeng, the young master who rarely faced resistance, suddenly found himself at a loss, as if he had been unexpectedly thrown into a battle he didn’t know how to win.

"Yes, yes, I understand. But, Young Master Song," Qi Jianyi sighed dramatically, shaking her head as though she was imparting some grave wisdom, "you should probably ease up a little. With your cold and scary expression, no woman will ever want to approach you. What’s the use of having good looks if you can’t be approached? Tsk, tsk." She waved her hand dismissively and continued her steps toward the mall, leaving Song Chengfeng standing behind.

For a moment, her words hung in the air, and then Song Chengfeng’s ears zeroed in on one part of her sentence—not the advice about his cold demeanor, not the warning that he might drive people away, but something else entirely.

"Wait," he called after her, his long legs quickly closing the distance between them, "are you saying that I’m handsome?" A small, almost smug smirk began to form on his face as he caught up, clearly entertained by this unexpected turn in the conversation.

Qi Jianyi’s smile faltered, a crack of disbelief forming in her expression. She had just laid out some genuine advice, yet this man had fixated on the one compliment embedded in her critique. Typical. "Well," she relented, not without some reluctance, "you are indeed good-looking."

Song Chengfeng’s smirk widened, though there was a glimmer of curiosity in his eyes now. "You said I look cold and scary, yet here you are, standing next to me. Why aren’t you afraid of me?" His gaze never left her as he asked, a tone of casual curiosity threading through his words, but there was something more—an unspoken question hanging between them.

Qi Jianyi shot him a playful glance, feigning a heavy sigh. "What can I do? I owe you a favour. That’s probably why." Her lips curled into a mischievous smile, the teasing lilt in her voice unmistakable.

But her words hit something deeper in Song Chengfeng. The smirk faded, replaced by a flicker of uncertainty. Was that really why she wasn’t afraid? Did she only stick around because of some sense of obligation? His expression grew serious, even a bit cold again, as he hesitated before asking the question that now lingered heavily between them.

"Then," his voice softened, almost tentative, "am I scary in your eyes?" He wasn’t sure if he wanted to hear the answer, but there was something in him that needed to know.

For the first time since their banter began, Song Chengfeng’s eyes held a vulnerability he wasn’t used to showing.

Qi Jianyi noticed the slight hesitation in Song Chengfeng’s voice, though the reason behind it eluded her. It was unlike him to show uncertainty, but rather than dwell on it, she chose to lighten the mood.

"If I were scared of you, do you really think I’d be standing here talking to you?" she replied in a matter-of-fact tone, shaking her head as if the very notion were absurd.

Fear? That wasn’t what she felt around him, not in the slightest. In fact, Song Chengfeng’s aloof demeanor made it easier to interact with him than with He Zeqing, whose intensity could be suffocating at times. Despite his cold and distant nature, Song Chengfeng never demanded more from her than she was willing to offer.

He didn’t pry or question the parts of her she chose to keep hidden, respecting her silence with an understanding that went unspoken. There was a comfort in that—a silent agreement that whatever she gave, he would take without further inquiry.

"Young Master Song," her voice softened, almost tender, "you’re not scary to me."

As she said those words, something deeper stirred within her, something unspoken that only she could understand. ’You’re not scary because I see you as a real person, not just a character from some novel,’ she thought to herself, a secret sentiment buried deep in her heart.

Song Chengfeng, unaware of her internal musings, studied her face for a moment longer, as if searching for the truth behind her words. The vulnerability he had briefly shown vanished, replaced by his usual calm and unreadable expression. But Qi Jianyi’s words lingered in the air, like a quiet reassurance between them.

"If so, drop the title and just call me by my name," Song Chengfeng inadvertently changed the subject before the atmosphere between them became awkward. His voice was low but firm, breaking the quiet rhythm of their conversation

Anyway, he really dislikes the title ’Young Master Song’ now.

Qi Jianyi raised an eyebrow at him, half-amused, half-uncertain of his intention. "Just call you by your name?" she asked, trying to hide the slight skepticism in her voice.

"Or,you can call me brother Song if you want to."

Her face twisted instantly into an exaggerated look of disgust. The idea of calling him "brother Song" was absurd, and the mere suggestion made her cringe inwardly. ’’Brother Song? In his wildest dreams!’ she thought with a sharp mental retort.

She met his eyes and, not missing a beat, said, "Since you’ve given me permission, I’ll just call you Chengfeng. Song Chengfeng." She purposely emphasized his full name, clearly intending to rob the moment of any casual charm. The look she gave him was smug, as if to say, nice try.

Song Chengfeng couldn’t help but let out a quiet chuckle at Qi Jianyi’s emphasis on his full name, completely missing her intent to annoy him. Instead of being irritated, he found the sound of his name strangely pleasant coming from her lips.

He couldn’t remember the last time someone had addressed him in such a way—without formalities, yet not in a way that felt disrespectful either. It was casual, yet it carried a certain warmth

"Suit yourself," he replied, a trace of amusement still lacing his words. His lips curved up, and his eyes sparkled with a teasing glint, completely unfazed by her deliberate effort to get under his skin.

Qi Jianyi could feel her irritation rise. ’What is with this guy?’ she thought, feeling her plan to annoy him crumbling before her eyes. She glanced sideways at him, momentarily caught off guard by his unbothered reaction. ’Well, at least I tried,’ she muttered inwardly with an exaggerated mental sigh.

What she didn’t realise was that Song Chengfeng had never been fond of hearing his name said aloud—not until now. There was something in the way she spoke it that made his name sound lighter, almost pleasant. He hadn’t expected it to have any effect on him, but there was an undeniable satisfaction in hearing her say it.

Song Chengfeng, seemingly reading her expression, couldn’t help but push his luck. "I’m surprised. That’s the first time I’ve heard you call me by my name. I could get used to it," he mused, his voice deepening slightly, giving weight to his words.

Qi Jianyi rolled her eyes dramatically. "Don’t get too comfortable," she warned, trying to keep the situation light. "I only said it because you gave me no choice."

Her casual tone made Song Chengfeng chuckle again, but in the back of his mind, he felt something shift. Something small, but unmistakably there—an invisible line crossed, one that made this interaction different from their previous ones.

Maybe it was the way she said his name, or maybe it was the fact that, for once, he wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from her next. Either way, it didn’t bother him as much as it usually would.

Qi Jianyi glanced sideways at him, almost expecting another teasing remark. But when she met his eyes, there was something different in them—a flicker of warmth she hadn’t seen before. A part of her wondered if she had let something slip, some part of her she had been keeping carefully guarded. The thought made her heart skip, just a little. ’What am I doing?’ she wondered, pushing away the faint unease that crept up in her.

In that brief exchange, something had shifted between them, subtle but unmistakable. Song Chengfeng, who had once seemed distant and detached, now felt oddly closer, more present.

And though Qi Jianyi wouldn’t admit it, calling him by his name had made everything feel a little less formal, a little more... real.